Special finishes

One of the most rewarding things is to 'give' ......this year I had four special projects that I gifted to special people in my life.

Finish #1

When making a class sample in 2013 for this fall table runner, I incorporated fabrics in the border that represent activities my parents enjoy and the center fabric fits in with their kitchen décor. The outer border was pieced as a strata with strips of fabric and then cross-cut.

The leftover strata I also gave to my mom and she made the placemats to coordinate. We enjoyed using it on the Thanksgiving table while we visited them in Arizona.

Finish #12

This fall themed table runner I named "In Your Time" and gave it to my sister. She understands the meaning...and at some point in time she'll have what she wants. ;-)

I originally made this design years ago as a guild mystery project. I was traveling at the time and saw these fabrics which reminded me of when I was in Japan and my grandmother passed away. The fall colors were spectacular that particular weekend and she always loved gold, so the gold accents in the fabric and the fall season made me think of her.

When I finally made it, the pattern didn't seem to work for me, so I re-drafted it and made it again as part of a class I offered a year ago in Grand Coulee. Just prior to Christmas I had to put my long-arm machine quilting on rest for a month. It took me a long while to get back to it, but I finally got it finished this year and was able to give it to my sister for Christmas. I chose a backing fabric that coordinates beautifully with her living room. She can use it any time of the year.




Finish #13

to a dear friend who is surviving breast cancer and all that goes along with that.


This started out as a collection of 2.5" x WOF strips obtained during the 2011 Shop Hop the Blues. Each shop had used the set of strips to make their own quilt design. I thought my Hugs and Kisses pattern might work up nicely if I could get the 'values' right.

When I decided to teach the Hugs and Kisses quilt as a class this fall, I got out the strips and decided that it was time to try and make it along with the class. Although the pattern calls for 2 5/8" strips, as long as you do everything consistently, it will still work just fine.  I organized the strips from light to dark and pulled the colors for the border that didn't quite go with the centers and made a strata to create a border.

All that was left were these pieces, the orange being the only complete strip I did not use:


As I pieced it together, it suddenly hit me that this was perfect for my dear friend battling cancer. It has a bohemian spirit in its result and it reminds me of that spirit in her, so I sent it off in hopes it would keep her comfortable and remind her of the love from a dear life long (well, since we were probably about 8 years old) friend.

I used this beautiful batik that is available in my studio for the backing and the binding. The coloring on the right is more true to what it looks like. The photo of the back was taken at night under lights.

This 'Heavenly Morsels' pantograph by Beany Girl Quilts is my go to favorite for quilting this design. I used the Fad 5 Signature variegated thread on the top and a coordinating burgundy thread on the back.

Finish #15

To another long time friend whose art work I'm honored to own. I hope this piece will daily remind her of who can inspire and sustain us. She is an outstanding artist and a beautiful person. The fabric line is 'Handmaids', the original quilt design is 'Draw Near'. I found the fabric at Experience Quilts in Odessa. I adapted it a bit so that the vertical outer borders had complete images of the fabric. This required the black sashing to be modified in a symmetrical way. The inner border called for the pink fabric, but I wanted to use the palette fabric. I chose to do the vertical green and blue (her favorite colors) and the light horizontal on top, and darkest horizontal on the bottom. The original binding suggestion was the red playtime fabric, but I chose to use a black/white chevron.

Each large panel square includes a scriptural reference.





I found the perfect quilting pantograph to go along with it. There is a paintbrush, crayon and pencil.









On one of the paint brushes, I stitched in her first name.

Details on the back:

 

 

Here is hoping you all had a wonderful Christmas time.